Woman to Woman: Cute Homemade Gift Ideas for Your BFF

Sadie Holloway likes giving practical yet thoughtful gifts to loved ones. She enjoys hunting around for the best presents she can find.

Give your best friend, sister, or mom a homemade gift that'll put a smile on her face. From birthdays and special occasions to a surprise gift 'just because,' this creative gift list has you covered!

Who loves homemade presents? We do!

Here are some creative ideas to inspire your inner crafting goddess the next time you want to shower the amazing ladies in your life with love and affection.

(Hey guys, although the title of this gift-giving article says 'woman to woman,' that doesn't mean you can't make one of these cute presents for your wife or girlfriend!)

Natural home air filter planter. Did you know that some houseplants actually help clean the air in your home? There are over a dozen different types of gorgeous green houseplants that have been scientifically proven to improve indoor air quality.

Start by doing some research online for the best air-filtration plants, then head down to your local florist or garden shop to buy the plants that you think would best complement your girlfriend’s home decor and sun exposure. Once you've chosen your selection of indoor plants, talk to the florist or a nursery staff member about which potting supplies (i.e.; soil, feed, pot shape and size) are best suited to your plants.

If your friend doesn't have a green thumb, make sure to include care instructions for each plant species in your pot.

Custom designed phone cases, office supplies and purse accessories. You can make really cool gifts and accessories for your best friends using one of a few different websites (i.e; CafePress, Zazzle) that allow you to upload your artwork and then print it on a variety of different items. You can upload a collage of photos of you and your best friend and print it on a durable mobile phone case. If your best friend has a signature joke or expression that always cracks you up, print that on a coffee mug or on the front of a pocket notebook. The possibilities are endless. Have fun coming up with a cute and clever design for your friend. She’ll love it!

(Shipping times often vary so make sure you get started on this project well in advance of your special occasion.)

Many of the supplies needed for these homemade gifts for women are inexpensive and can be found at your favorite craft store or dollar store.

Hand-drawn coloring book. Go into any bookstore and you’ll likely find a sectiondevoted entirely to coloring books for adults. Indeed, coloring books have recently exploded in popularity and there are dozens and dozens of publishers printing books on a wide range of themes: mandalas, flowers, animals, cartoons, political satire, to name a few. But what if you created a one-of-a-kind coloring book filled with images that have special meaning to your friend? For example, it could be a book filled with images of her favorite foods, dreamy travel destinations or hunky celebrities.

Now, if you think you can’t draw and this homemade gift is just too hard to make, think again. All you need is an assortment of magazines and photos, some vellum or tracing paper and a thin to medium black marker. Pick a photographic image you like, place a sheet of vellum paper over it and start tracing an outline of the objects in the image with your black marker. Then photocopy or scan the vellum paper image and print it onto regular bond paper. Once you have a collection of assorted coloring pages, hole-punch the sheets and put them into a colorful binder. Tuck a box of markers or colored pencils inside, and your gift is done.

Manicure in a box. This present is one that can be enjoyed by the recipient alone or shared with others. If your girlfriend has a daughter, this is a lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon together, giving each other fancy manicures. Stock up on nail care supplies, manicure tools, brightly colored nail polishes, stick-on gems and other goodies at your favorite drug store or dollar shop. Wrap all the supplies up in a pretty box with a ribbon and attach a cute gift tag.

What's fun about this gift for women versus a pre-packaged off-the-shelf manicure set is that you can pick out colors and nail accessories that suit your girlfriend's taste and style. Don't be surprised if you have just as much fun assembling this gift as your girlfriend does using it!

Homemade spa products. You can find recipes for homemade soaps, sugar scrubs, bath fizzies, and facial masks online or at your library. Once you’ve made a few pretty spa products for your best girlfriend, don’t forget the packaging. Pinterest is a great place to find creative gift wrapping ideas for your homemade present.

If you haven't yet found something on this list of homemade gifts for girlfriends, here are a few more ideas. A quick online search will lead you to plenty of pages with instructions on how to make these crafty treasures!